tourism to the site may help protect the rainforest . it is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the pre @ - @ columbian maya civilization . it is located in the archaeological region of the pete ##n basin in what is now northern guatemala . situated in the department of el pete ##n , the site is part of guatemala ' s ti ##kal national park and in 1979 it was declared a unesco world heritage site . ti ##kal was the capital of a conquest state that became one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient maya . though monumental architecture at the site dates back as far as the 4th century bc , ti ##kal reached its ap ##oge ##e
tourism to the site may help protect the rainforest. it is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the pre @ - @ columbian maya civilization. it is located in the archaeological region of the peten basin in what is now northern guatemala. situated in the department of el peten, the site is part of guatemala's tikal national park and in 1979 it was declared a unesco world heritage site. tikal was the capital of a conquest state that became one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient maya. though monumental architecture at the site dates back as far as the 4th century bc, tikal reached its apogee